Destiny
by krazi little aus
Summary: In the changed future,Chris learns that he has a past he never knew.
1. Chapter 1

**Destiny**

_Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine, Chris is not mine (unfortunately) blah blah blah. _

* * *

Chris rolled over. It was twelve in the afternoon and he knew he should get out of bed, start work on the ever-growing pile of assignments he had to do, but he was just so _sore._ Wyatt had been on one of his demon hunting crusades again last night and had dragged a reluctant Chris along. That night had been particularly rough on Chris. Being a Halliwell, he was used to being thrown against walls by the force of energy balls – that he could handle – what he couldn't handle was the running, the jumping, the kicking and the punching. He was _not _used to demons throwing punches, crawling on top of him and scratching at his face, neck and chest. Although it would seem as if he was untouched – thanks to Wyatt's new healing ability – his bones and muscles were screaming in protest when he did decide to pull the covers back and sit up in bed.

Eighteen year old Christopher Halliwell ran a hand through his thick brown hair and closed his eyes. _Boy, _was a sore. And tired. He was _not _going on another mission with Wyatt for at least a month. Wyatt would just have to deal.

It took all of an hour for Chris to shower and dress, much longer than per usual, but he could not turn his back on the soothing warm water coursing down his spine. Making his way downstairs of the Halliwell manor, Chris was not surprised to find his entire family crowded in the sunroom. Saturday meant family day and all the Halliwell's, without fail, congregated to the manor for some catching up. Chris usually liked these times with his family, but today was different. He was not in the mood to entertain his six little cousins _and _have an emotionally charged catch-up session with Aunt Phoebe.

"There he is," his mom waved a hand at him, indicating that he join them. She sat on the couch, squashed between Leo and Paige. Wyatt was sitting on a chair with Prue, Phoebe's youngest, on his lap and Phoebe, Henry and Cooper were all sitting on the couch.

Chris gave a small wave. "Hey," he greeted, a strained smile on his face. "Where are the kids?"

The noticeable absence of the rest of the Halliwell children irked him. When they were not wreaking havoc on him, they were usually off plotting.

"They're playing outside," Paige informed him. "Thinking of some way to torture you." She smiled and nodded her head, as if answering the unspoken question.

"Great," Chris muttered, turning around and heading towards the kitchen. "I'm gonna make something to eat."

He entered the kitchen and peered inside the fridge, wondering if there was any turkey left from last night. Disappointed to find there wasn't, he found the next best thing: chocolate ice-cream. Taking it out with a smile on his face, he felt someone behind him and found Wyatt grinning at him.

"What about last night, eh?"

Chris set the ice-cream on the counter and began sifting through the cupboards for a bowl. "You make it sound as if we got laid."

Wyatt gave off a short laugh that irritated Chris. "So I was thinking tonight we could take on that clan I was telling you about."

"What, the Okshan clan?" Chris asked, beginning to scoop ice-cream into the bowl and when Wyatt nodded he dropped the scooper in the bowl and turned on his brother. "No thanks. I've had enough of all these _missions _for now. Besides, don't you have something better to do?"

Wyatt cocked an eyebrow. "Better than fulfilling my destiny?" He asked and Chris couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Don't think so."

"Do you ever get sick of that whole 'destiny' crap?" Chris continued filling up his bowl.

"No. Do you ever get sick of ignoring yours?"

Chris placed the lid back on the ice-cream container, took his bowl and headed for the kitchen table. Sitting down, he looked up at Wyatt and frowned.

"None of that is true you know," he started. "_Destiny _is what the Elders made up to force witches to do their work. Besides, I have to finish all my assignments. I need to get into college, remember?"

"You don't need college," Wyatt sat down opposite Chris and watched as his younger brother started savouring his ice-cream.

"Don't let mom hear you say that," Chris said through his mouthful of ice-cream.

"Ok, look," Wyatt began, a pleading tone in his voice. "Just this last time and then we'll take a break. I don't want to go by myself."

Chris snorted, a bit of ice-cream coming out his nose. "What, the Twice-Blessed _scared _to take on a couple of lowly demons?"

Wyatt growled. "Not scared, cautious. Dad says never to go hunting by yourself." He drew in a breath. "Besides, we're a team. We stick together, right?"

Chris went back to eating his ice-cream, leaving the question unanswered. How was he meant to tell Wyatt that his plans for the future? Plans that would not involve magic, demons or even Wyatt.

He was saved this torment however by the appearance of their cousin Henry Jr who orbed in with a grin plastered on his face.

"Hey, Chris," he started, "can you come outside with me?"

Chris continued to eat his ice-cream and shook his head. Swallowing he replied, "So you can orb me to Washington again? No thanks."

* * *

The plan was usual: go to bed normal time so as not to alert the parents, wake up at one o'clock, go over strategies, consult the Book of Shadows if necessary and then orb to the Underworld. Chris didn't like the description the Book had of the Okshan clan. It was very limited and stated that they were a hive, reptilian in nature, following the queen who possessed various powers, not all of which is known. To kill the hive, however, the queen must be vanquished. There was no known vanquishing spell or potion. So much for lowly demons. In essence, the brothers had no idea what they would be facing. But that never stopped them before.

Packing heavy on ammunition – the usual 'blowing up' potions and an athame – they orbed to a location close to where they knew the hive slept. The plan was to take them by surprise. What they didn't anticipate however, was that the hive _never_ slept. Turning the corner into the cavern, expecting to encounter dozens of sleeping and unaware demons, they instead stood face to face with about a hundred steely eyed demons who did not seem surprised at all. The cavern in which they stood in was large, but through all the bodies, Chris could make out an opening at the end, possibly where the queen lived.

Glancing at Wyatt, Chris stepped back as the demons started to advance, knowing quite well what Wyatt was about to do. Chris watched in awe as Wyatt raised his arms and, without breaking a sweat, quite literally blew half of the demons away. Chris vaguely wondered why he had been asked to come along when it was obvious that Wyatt seemed to have everything under control. He pushed this thought to the back of his mind as he rushed forward and used his telekinesis to throw demons aside, leaving a path for him in the middle. He continued throwing demons against walls as he shouted back to Wyatt, "I'm going after the queen!" and before Wyatt could protest, Chris ran through the path he had made – and continued to make – and through the large opening at the end of the cavern.

It was darker in here – black – and it seemed to stretch all around him. It took a moment for Chris to adjust his eyes to his new surroundings and when he did, he spotted her instantly. The queen was nothing how Chris had imagined her to be and looked nothing like her army battling it out with Wyatt. She almost looked normal if it was not for the scales that stretched along her body. As he approached her, she smiled, her white teeth gleaming in the darkness. He raised his hand, every intention of throwing her against the wall – his favourite technique – but then she spoke.

"Hello Christopher," her voice was sickeningly sweet. Chris lowered his hand in surprise. "I thought you'd be a bit earlier than this." She pushed herself off the wall and took two long strides to face Chris.

"How do you know my name?" It was a cliché question and it was one that Chris never tire of when demons said his name unexpectedly.

"Oh," her smile took a devious turn. "I know everything about you. It's one of my many gifts."

"Your gift is to know me?" Chris almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "I'm glad I can be that special someone in your life."

It astounded him, but the demon laughed. "No silly boy," she said. "My power is knowing. Know all. Know everything and everyone." Her face suddenly turned sour. "Like I know how your brother is massacring my children right now."

"Shame about that," Chris said sarcastically. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to the business of killing you." He raised his hand again but before he could do anything, she smiled and spoke again.

"You know there is no way you can kill me," she said, her smile in place once more. "You can try all you like, but in the end _you _are the one that will die."

Chris knew this was true, but he had only intended on distracting her until Wyatt could finish her off.

"But your brother on the other hand..." she paused thoughtfully. "He's much more powerful. And my children can't survive much longer out there." She paused again, analysing Chris. "What would you say to a little proposition?"

"What?" Chris was taken aback. Do a deal with a demon? He's never heard of that ever happening, especially not to good witches. "And why would I make a deal with you?"

"Because I can give you something that you desire most in the world."

Chris snorted. "Yeah and what's that?"

Her smile never left her face and Chris found it slightly creepy.

"The truth," she replied.

"What truth?"

"The truth about you."

**TBC**

review?


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: _**Okay, so firstly thanks so much to those who reviewed! Very grateful! Secondly, I probably should have explained myself in the first chapter! I don't intend to give Wyatt and Chris a sister (yuck!) so there'll be none of that! Also, I don't know if you guys have picked up on it, but I'm Australian which means I've been trying very hard to write in American terms (this is an American TV show...want to stay true right?) but if I slip up...well I'm apologising in advance =]. Anyways, I don't know when I'll be getting to the next chapter (here's hoping soon) but thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

_**Disclaimer: **_Not mine :)

* * *

**Chapter 2 **

Chris snorted. "And what would that be?"

Her smile widened and she stepped closer, her hand reaching up to touch his face and, surprisingly, he let her. Her cold touch sent shivers down his back but he would never show it.

"Who you are," she stood on her toes to reach his height as she hooked him into a stare.

He didn't answer at first, his breath hitched as her face slowly inched closer to his and he felt his heart stop. He knew it wasn't right, in fact, he knew it was dead wrong, but he felt himself oddly attracted to her. She did not look to be that much older than him and if it were not for her scaly skin, she would have almost been beautiful. Her black hair and brown eyes were an attraction Chris always found himself looking for in women.

"And...and who is that?" he tried to keep his voice stern, tried not to falter under her gaze, even as she pushed herself forward so that their bodies were now touching. Her lips went up to meet his and felt himself lean forward into it. But then, just as quickly as it had happened, she pulled away, that devious smile still plastered on her face.

"Now now," she said and Chris felt his heart sink only to feel disgust a moment later. "That would ruin the surprise." She looked over his shoulder. "Your brother is close. Very close." Her eyes quickly found his face again and before he knew exactly what was going on, she had stepped forward and placed a hand on his forehead.

A power surged through him and though it didn't hurt, he let out a small gasp. In what seemed like an instant his vision darkened and his eyes closed. Only small white dots danced though the darkness and then suddenly, without quite knowing where it had come from, Chris found himself watching a series of scenes, muted, appearing in quick succession after another, as though on fast forward. He watched as the scenes changed from him to a messy looking Wyatt dressed all in black to an older version of himself to gravestones with 'Halliwell' etched into the stone in large writing and suddenly his eyes were open again. It took all of five seconds for him to realise that he was still standing and another five to realise that that whole episode had taken at least half of that time. And when he looked up at the queen, he saw her watching him carefully, that damned smile still gracing her features.

"What was that?" Chris demanded. "What did I see?"

"I see you are intrigued," she looked over his shoulder again. "Come back tomorrow, same time, and we will discuss the details of the deal then." And before Chris could open his mouth to protest, confirm or even just question, the queen shimmered away.

No sooner had she left than Wyatt ran through the opening and towards Chris.

"Where is she?" he shouted, reaching Chris and standing beside him. "Did you vanquish her?"

"Yes," he choked out. He did not know what possessed him to say it, maybe the queen had been right, maybe he was intrigued. What he did know, however, was that he was still reeling over what he had seen in his – what would you call it? – vision. The image of the tombstone seemed to be burnt into his memory.

"Good going bro!" Wyatt held out his hand, expecting Chris to slap his hand against Wyatt's in a high-five, but Chris just stood there, staring at the space where the queen had shimmered away.

Slowly, Wyatt lowered his hand and his eyes narrowed, suspicion and concern filling them. "How did you manage that?" he asked. "There is no known vanquishing potion or spell." And then his voice went up a pitch and he stood in front of Chris, his eyes no longer holding suspicion but plain worry as he took Chris by the shoulders and forced his younger brother to look him in the eye. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you? Do you need healing?"

Wyatt's worry seemed to bring Chris out of his reverie and he blinked a couple of times before meeting Wyatt's gaze.

"I'm fine," he said, shrugging his shoulders to get Wyatt's hands off them. "Really," he said, when Wyatt continued to stare at him. "I'm fine. Why did it take you so long to get here?" He had asked in the hope that Wyatt would forget his initial question - how hadChris been able to vanquish the seemingly unvanquishable queen - how was Chris going to explain his way out of that one.

"When you ran in here, the demons started doubling up and I mean literally. They appeared out of nowhere! Then they just all vanished...must have been when you vanquished the queen." Wyatt paused again. "Are you sure you're ok? You look a little white."

Chris rolled his eyes in exasperation – it's what he would have done if he really was fine – and nodded his head. "Yes, now let's get out of here before mom realises we're missing."

* * *

Chris couldn't sleep that night. His mind was racing with everything that he had seen in his vision and he stayed up writing down what he had seen in hopes of making sense out of it. In the end, he threw away the piece of paper and crawled back into bed to wait out the night.

He got up extra early that morning and went down to the kitchen to find that his family had not woken up yet – it was a Sunday after all – and he went about making some coffee and toast for himself. He was nervous about that coming night when he would be meeting with the queen again. He had already made up his mind, there was no turning back from it now – he _would _make the deal, whatever it was. He had to know what he had seen. He knew it wasn't a lie, he knew she had been telling the truth when she had said that what he had seen _was _the truth. He only hoped that his end of the bargain – whatever that was - could be fulfilled.

"Hey," the voice was quiet - almost a whisper - but Chris could recognise that voice anywhere.

With a piece of toast hanging limply from his mouth Chris turned to greet his mother, still dressed in her nightgown. Taking the piece of toast from his mouth and placing it on a plate he had grabbed he went over to give her a kiss.

"Morning, mom," he said, treading back to the counter to finish off his breakfast. "What are you doing up so early?"

Piper snorted, making her way towards the fridge and pulling out the milk. "I should ask you the same question," she replied. "It's..." she looked up at the clock hanging above the fridge, "7:30 and you're up? Are you sure you're my Chris?"

Chris laughed but quickly sobered as a thought ran through his mind. If he was to do this, he had to plan it out carefully so as not to arouse suspicion.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Piper asked, leaning against the counter opposite Chris and pouring the milk in a glass.

"A few of the guys are going to the park to kick the ball around," Chris said shrugging. _And then later I'll be heading down to the Underworld to do dealings with demons._

"What about those assignments piling up on your desk?" Piper asked sternly. Although Piper prided herself on being what she believed to be a 'cool' mother, she never let that cloud her views when it came to the boys' wellbeing. When they were younger, she had more of a say in their lives, however now that they have become adults, she has had to become content with watching their lives play out from the sidelines. She had never really gotten used to this and, being their mother, believed strongly that she would always have a say in their lives. She frequently fussed over her boys, but Chris especially. Although she loved her boys equally, she knew that Chris had a special place in her heart.

"I'll finish them when I get home," Chris answered her question, rolling his eyes dramatically.

Piper sighed, drinking the last of her milk. "Alright, just remember that this year counts alright," she reminded. "SATs are coming up."

"Yeah I know," Chris paused as Piper moved away from the counter and busied herself at the kitchen sink, washing leftover dishes from last night's dinner. "Hey mom?"

"Yeah Peanut?" she continued washing the dishes unaware of the face Chris pulled at hearing that nickname.

"I was just thinking," he paused again, knowing that what he was about to ask might provoke questions from her, questions that he would not enjoy answering. "I...I wanted to know – just a question really – Is there something about me...is there something you're keeping from me?"

He didn't know how else to put it and once the words escaped his lips he knew they were the wrong ones. He prepared himself for a firing of questions, perhaps for some accusations or even assumptions. To his surprise and curiosity however, Chris watched as his mother's back stiffened and she turned around to meet his stare. An expression came over Piper's face and Chris had trouble deciphering what it could mean, but before he could even come to a conclusion, the expression was gone and a soft smile had replaced it.

"Oh, like how you and your brother run off to the Underworld every so often?" she did not say it with disapproval, rather teasingly.

"How did you know about that?" Chris asked, amazed. He thought they had hidden their little trips to the Underworld fairly well.

Piper clucked, the smile still on her face. "A mother knows everything," she spilled the cliché mysteriously. "Now go off and have a shower, I can practically smell demon blood on you."

Chris didn't need telling twice. He finished his toast and headed upstairs, the fact that his mother had avoided answering the question entirely not completely slipping his mind.

* * *

"Leo, we need to talk."

Once she heard the water running from the upstairs bathroom, Piper quickly returned to the bedroom which she shared with her now mortal husband Leo.

Leo grunted from where he lay and turned on the bed so that his back was facing Piper. Sleep appeared to be his priority for the moment. Piper sat down on her side of the bed and started poking Leo.

"Leo!"

"Not now," Leo sighed. "I'm tired. Tonight."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Not that," she exclaimed. "We have a problem with Chris."

Apparently sleep could wait because at the mention of Chris, Leo sat up entirely too quickly for it to be healthy on his back.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is he sick?"

Piper shook her head and smiled down at her husband. She loved how much Leo loved their children. Sometimes she believed it was more love than she could ever provide.

"No, no, he's alright," Piper paused, "at least he's healthy."

Leo had a confused look on his face. "Then what is it?"

"I think he's becoming suspicious," Piper replied hurriedly. "I think he suspects something."

Leo frowned. "About?"

"You know what about," Piper whispered harshly. "Other Chris."

Leo blinked tiredly and ran a hand through his short hair, a little relieved. "Why do you say that?" he asked sceptically. "There's no way he could know about that."

Piper shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "He just asked me if I was hiding anything from him."

"And what did you say?"

Piper shrugged. "Nothing. I changed the subject."

Leo raised his eyebrows then let a small smile grow on his face. "You know, Chris is eighteen. He's always been curious. It's probably nothing."

Piper watched as Leo sank back down in bed. She hated feeling so insecure.

"You know," Leo started up again. "We really should think about-"

"No!" Piper cried. "No, we're not saying _anything_!" she sighed deeply before standing up from her place on the bed and wandering around the room. "We've discussed this Leo. Neither of the boys needs to know."

Leo puffed, obviously realising defeat as he so often has done whenever this argument arose. "Okay," he said quickly, his eyes closing in hopes of getting at least another half hour sleep. "I hope we're doing the right thing."

"We are," Piper reassured her husband as she began to slip out of her nightgown and change into her clothes. "Chris can never know. We have to protect him from that."

* * *

Chris had learned as a child that the best way to get what he wanted was through deception and manipulation. That's how it worked in the Halliwell family – at least when it came to him. A fond trick of his was to cast a spell to hear conversations clearly from metres away, despite any walls in the way. He didn't believe in personal gain so he had no problem with this particular spell, especially if it helped him uncover the truth he yearned to seek.

He had seen how his mother had reacted to his question – how anxious she had gotten – and he had a plan. Knowing his mother full well, he entered the bathroom and turned the taps of the shower, letting the water run while he stood at the bathroom door, his ear pressed against the hard wood as he waited for the inevitable sound of his mother's footsteps. He knew that when she got into a state she would consult with Leo and she did not disappoint. He heard her hurry past the bathroom and into her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. The water still running, Chris slipped from the bathroom and tiptoed to his parents' bedroom. Murmuring the spell under his breath, Chris' ears stung as the whispered voices of his parents were magnified as though they were standing right next to him. And he listened as they spoke.

**TBC**


End file.
